New Pictures - New Shops

Exciting news! Friday before Memorial Day weekend I brought my best pottery pieces to the Oasis on Lake Travis. The gift shop there has started carrying local artisan work in addition to the standard longhorn and bluebonnet paraphenalia. My guitar boxes and hand painted floral pitchers will fit right in alongside the guitar pick earrings and other Austin goodies. I also brought some woodfire pieces to see if those were appealing to some of the clientele there too.

Also, my vases, bowls, and incense burners textured with Indian wood blocks (for fabric printing) are now available at Marigold on South Lamar.

New pictures! Peruse the gallery of work that has come out of the new East Side Studio! Lots of room for improvement in the area of taking pictures of work but I have figured a few things out this month. What else am I plotting for the summer?

Pot of the Art

My studio mates hosted Art of the Pot on Mother's Day weekend, which was a tremendous success for the artists who came from around the country and also the shoppers who were lucky enough to see their work or even take some home with them. I splurged and bought a mug from Jennifer Allen whose feminine style and organic details I really liked.

It was great I was able to see almost every artist over the weekend. It gave me a lot of confidence about my own work and some directions to pursue in the future. I am really lucky to be around so many talented artists right now who push me and encourage me.

And finally, my cat had two kittens this month, so I couldn't resist adding this picture to the mix.

Spring Works

I had so much fun making these terracotta planters inspired by early Central American works. The bodies are thrown on the wheel. The heads and feet and other body parts are added later. I also carved a few simple patterns along the rim, but mostly left these animals simple and iconic.

I struggled at first with the bird, but once I settled on a two dimensional design for the toucan-like beak and head, this became my favorite of the critter pots. I hope these will be a hit at the Lone Star Ladies Show this weekend in time for Mother's Day. I also tackled some brushwork for the first time and created a few unique pieces with poppies or sweet pea designs.

2710 E. Cesar Chavez

Wow! I am so happy to be settled in my new studio on the East Side! The outside features this mind bending mural by Lance Bradley, but the inside features skilled potters and great studio mates Ryan McKerley, Chris Campbell, and Sarah Reesor. Be sure to check out their amazing work.

After cleaning, painting, and building some shelves, I finally got to work and started throwing for my next show in April. These are the first pieces I threw in my new space.

Broken Bits of Ceramics

January is a great time for me to take some new steps forward and reflect on last year's accomplishments. Currently, I am installing a midrange electric kiln at my home studio where I plan to make a line of sculpted planters this spring. Instead of including pictures of my breaker panel and kiln factory manuals, I thought I would post some more colorful pictures from last summer's project.


What you see is a typical over-the-top family project: An 300 gallon rainwater collection barrel built entirely from scratch rebar, chicken wire, and cement. First a huge bird cage was constructed, then the sides were stuccoed with ferrocement. Once complete, it was carefully moved 4 feet to the side of the house using a system of pipes and wood beams as rollers.

I was really happy with final product and it works too! Now back to planning ...
Wishing you all a productive and joyous 2010.

Bones and Fossils

Great show at Cherrywood this weekend! This picture shows includes many of the woodfire pots I made late summer. No, the tortoise shell is not for sale! Its on loan from my parents' backyard, actually.

My very last show this year will be at the Sunset Valley Farmer's Market here in Austin. Its this Saturday 9am to 1pm. I plan to set up a half price table with some seconds. Should be fun!

Then, after a quick break for the holidays, I'm looking forward to a very productive January... I'll keep you posted!

Holiday Line for 2009

See pictures of my latest work!

I can't believe how much pottery one person can generate in a couple of months. I don't want to spoil anything, but let's just say there is no shortage of stripes, dots, and birds. All of these pieces (with the exception of the piggy bank) will be for sale at the upcoming craft shows:

December 3rd | First Thursday on South Congress
December 5th & 6th | Wheatsville Arts Festival
December 12th & 13th | Cherrywood Art Fair

Hi! I am adorable.